The 2024 racing season is winding down.
The zMAX CARS Tour wraps up its season on Oct. 18-19 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, just two weeks after the ARCA Menards Series ends its national season at Toledo Speedway on Oct. 5.
ARCA Menards Series East will finish up next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. ARCA Menards Series West, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series will all close out their seasons at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 8-10.
It’s been a wild year in American stock car racing, but perhaps none wilder than that of the short track world. Not just in the way of the racing, or the off-track chicanery, but with its presence in the NASCAR world.
The 2024 season has been a big one for short trackers getting their shot in the ‘big leagues.’ And I’m not talking about the drivers who are trying to naturally work their way up to the NASCAR Cup Series such as Kaden Honeycutt or Layne Riggs. Those drivers are naturally expected to find their way into better rides as they progress toward the top echelon of NASCAR.
I’m talking about the drivers who have made their entire living on short track grassroots racing who got a unique opportunity to show the NASCAR folk how they do it on the local scene every Saturday night.
It started with none other than Bubba Pollard. The veteran put himself on the national map back during the 2022 Camping World SRX Series opener at Five Flags Speedway, where he contended all evening and finished second. This year, Pollard returned to Five Flags driving an ARCA East car for Phoenix Racing, where he again ran up front and finished third.
Not long after that, Pollard received sponsorship support from Rheem to make a one-off NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Richmond Raceway in JR Motorsports’ part-time fifth entry, the No. 88. He was fastest in practice but messed up his qualifying lap and started dead last in the field. Yet Pollard was able to methodically work his way up through the field, using his short track prowess to finish an impressive sixth on debut.
The big question leaving Richmond was whether or not he would make another start or two (or more) in Xfinity.
”No, Carson took my job from me,” Pollard said with a smile after an ASA Stars race at Hickory Motor Speedway a few months later.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …